The basic principles of project management aren’t just restricted to the corporate world. It can be useful in everyday life, too

Life is one big, messy, expensive (sigh, we feel it too) project, which means that we’re all project managers in our own right. The principles of project management don’t have to be confined to an office cubicle, instead it can overflow into everyday tasks, events and situations to help you stay on track, motivated, and satisfied with your progress. 

Project Structure
The most basic, yet essential, skill is making lists. It seems redundant, but how many times have we forgotten something important, that would’ve saved time and searching if we’d listed it down. Set up a hierarchical structure of every team member and task that is needed to complete the project. 

Goals and Objectives
Before you get going on the more nitty-gritty stuff, you need to define your goals and objectives. This will help you identify your achievements, and the steps needed to reach your desired outcome. It will also help you to see how the project’s outcomes benefit you, and what you should avoid to ensure fewer negatives.

Communication Plan
We’ve read enough relationship-, career- and parenting advice pieces to know that communication is key. But this doesn’t mean everyone communicating what they want or think is best. Instead, it’s everyone coming to communicate with one voice about the project. Say you’re planning a baby shower – mediate everyone’s opinions on venue, food, dress code and so on, to find balance and neutrality. 

Define Roles and Responsibilities
You might be a stand-alone kind of person, but teamwork makes the dream work, too. Instead of hosting a frenzy of thoughts on your own, get other reliable people to help out with certain tasks. This way everyone knows who’s doing what, and you can maintain the quality of your project. Work out schedules, costs and have an even amount of effort and workload. 

Risk Management 
Where would we be as humans without risks? It builds character, and you’ll certainly find it in any project. Knowing the potential risks is important, but knowing how to resolve an issue is just as crucial. Assign risk management to your task team; what they should look out for, what they need to do, and to keep tabs on possible risks arising. Don’t worry about those that you haven’t foreseen because hopefully you’ll have identified the big ones.

Change Management
Change is inevitable, and with any project, it needs to be planned for from the get-go. Delays, issues, risks make it necessary for changes to happen to your project. Have a plan of action in place to handle any changes that may occur, or that may be suggested, to your project. 

Cost Management
Based on expectations, and desired outcomes, you can work on the quality of the project and how to meet those standards. Work on the budget of each task and create your overall expenditure for the project. If it’s planning a baby shower, make sure that more money isn’t going towards high-quality cakes, when less money is going into good-quality decorations. Find balance, and deliver the best-valued product. 

Tip: If you’re using organisational skills and tools in your career, try aligning your personal tasks with a similar (or the same where possible) workflow. That way you’re maximising the potential of being your most efficient, adult self! 

Words by Saadiqah Schroeder
Photography: Pexels